HOWTO recruit and retain women in tech workplaces
Why care about hiring women? * stuff about diversity being good * how having women in your workplace will make it a better/more productive place HOWTO find women to interview for a position Advertise where women look "But women never even respond to our ads!" The first question you should be asking is how many women saw your ad. Advertise where tech women look! There are ample mailing lists and forums that women subscribe for specifically to see job ads. These include Linuxchix jobs lists (global and chapter), Systers jobs list, various GirlGeekDinner lists, and local Women in Tech group lists. Yes, go out of your way to make sure women see your ads! Which brings us to the next point: (todo: add links to these lists) Search out women Use your network to find women. When advertising a job, tell your employees to spread the word far and wide. Offer bounties for employee referrals that end up resulting in hires. Encourage your female employees to spread the news on their own networks, both formal and otherwise. Go to conferences, tell people about job opportunities, hand out business cards with contact details - but don't be creepy. Make your ads women friendly Think about what your ad says about your companies culture. Although promises of endless cold beer, pool tables, and gaming consoles may appeal to very young, predominantly male, potential employees, they don't sound particularly welcoming to someone who has young children or is planning on starting a family. There's nothing wrong with having a fun, friendly and casual atmosphere, but unless your company policies extend beyond skittles and wiimotes, you're cutting out a significant portion of your potential employee base. Another thing to think about is the technical skills you have listed in the ''"essential requirements" ''section of your ad. Do you need someone skilled in a particular, perhaps obscure programming language or technology, or will a good programmer be able to pick up the language in a few days anyway? Think skills, not technologies, because someone with skills can pick up technologies quickly anyway. By making your ad less specific, you may attract a more diverse set of candidates. As mentioned elsewhere, men are more likely to dismiss a particularly requirement as silly, or as easy to learn - and apply anyway, whereas women are more likely to be put off from actually applying upon seeing such a requirement. Create a pipeline - encourage female university students to enrol in courses that prepares them for work at your company by offering scholarships - offer internships to female students - collaborate with universities, training centres, and local groups hire with the intention to train new employees in skills you need HOWTO make your workplace inviting to women * workplace culture * family friendly policies, for employees of both genders * other women, preferably other tech women, not just admins and financial people How men and women interview differently * Understand that most men interview differently from most women. While men make the skills they don't have seem insignificant to the job, women play down their proficiency at skills they do have, and make a big point of skills they may lack. * how to conduct a fair interview: panels, questions, etc HOWTO retain women you've hired. * Things you do that make women leave * Canneries in a coal mine * Appropriate renumeration - equal pay for equal work (same friend said she has noticed a very huge difference in pay between men and women doing the same job) * Advancement opportunities * Access to training * Mentoring and networking programs in the workplace * Providing means for employees to give feedback on their colleagues and managers, and using this feedback to make the workplace better.